From Sunrise to Sundown
by EternityInYourArms
Summary: Just a little one-shot for the great Dark-Hunter cowboy Jess "Sundown" Brady.


Disclaimer: alright, I own none of the Dark-Hunter series. That is owned by Sherrilyn Kenyon, who is a genius.

I just want to say that this was originally written and posted on Quizilla on my user DeathAngel7 for my friend Sammie as a birthday present.

And for those that can't figure this out, and I know there are a few out there, the OC of this story, Dawn, has no connection or relation to BtVS, okay? I just thought I'd clear this up.

* * *

"An' another one bites the dust." A young-looking woman sang softly under her breath as the Daimon before her burst into gold dust. Her blond hair, which could easily have others mistaking her for a Daimon, herself, fluttered in the cool breeze. Dawn slid her twin daggers back into their places at her back under her long leather jacket. This job just kept getting easier and easier for her. She may have only been a Dark-Hunter for a hundred years, but she were already really good at what she did.

Fighting just came naturally to Dawn McKay. It had ever since she was a kid growing up in an old dusty town at the turn of the century. It was kill or be killed and the bad guys didn't't care if she were a woman. Well, she hadn't t cared if they were men. In a gang of outlaws, she d made a rather nice life for herself with her knives. No one could throw one as fast, or a far, as she could. Not to mention Dawn had the quickest brain, probably the only brain , in that group of robbers and crooks that she had made. But she didn't t throw herself into their category.

No, she wasn't t just some common criminal. She had morals, a code of ethics, as it were. And she stuck to it like glue, often forcing the members of her little band to join her. Besides, what she did wasn't t crime; it was art.

Well, the authorities didn't t see it as much art when they placed the bounty on her head. After that it was only a matter of time before someone decided she was expendable, Dawn just hadn't t thought it would be one of her own men that had down it. In a kill or be killed world, she d been killed. Lynched by the same group of miscreants that had once called her their leader, their friend. And for what? A bag of money they hadn't t even been able to split between them before she had found them. Oh, the irony.

Turning, Dawn left the dark alleyway near the pharmacy and headed back to her home, the apartment above the small town s theatre. The place might be a little beat up, but it met her needs and that s all that mattered. Not to mention Chow, the practically ancient Chinese dude that owned the place, treated her like a daughter, even if he knew how old she really was.

Ah, the perks of having a squire again as a landlord!

His wife, Lee-an, would always make these really yummy dishes of who-knows-what that were the most delicious things Dawn had ever tasted, but she knew better than to ask what they were. She'd done that once, and the answer hadn't been pretty, so after that time she had just started to eat the mystery meat when she gave it to her and not question it.

But any other Dark-Hunter would probably ask, why live in a small, rundown apartment above an equally rundown theatre when you get enough of a paycheck every month to be able to buy the theater? Simply put; three words.

Location, location, location.

The theatre stood near the center of town, and all of the local hoodlums enjoy coming at night to get a little from their girls. Well, half them guys coming in for a little *wink**wink* *nudge**nudge* are Daimon scum looking for an easy meal. It s easy for her to sit in on a couple of movies, pin point which of the dates are blond and fanged, and then wait for the perfect moment to dust their sorry asses. It worked, for the most part.

There was the occasional Daimon that never left his meal ticket, not even to use the can, and those were the one she hated the most. They had a tendency to wait for the last possible second before giving her the opening she needed to make a kill. She was halfway to the theatre when her senses kicked into overdrive, causing her to freeze. Her eyes shot over to an alley to her right and she almost sighed.

There were Daimons. Five of them.

An animalistic smirk spread across her face. Finally, a little competition! Maybe these guys will put up a reasonably decent fight. Without waiting a moment longer, she slipped into the alleyway.

Dawn felt the mistake the second she entered the alley. There were more than five Daimons there now, probably jumped out of a bolt-hole when she wasn't t paying attention, and they were all surrounding someone. But it wasn't a normal someone. A vicious curse spilled from her lips before she could stop herself. All eyes turned to her. The Daimons that had the lone Dark-Hunter cornered bared there gleaming fangs at her and hissed in unison.

Dawn couldn t help it. It was just too funny!

She burst out laughing at how they just hissed all together. "Oh, ya ll are just too cute!" She sputtered between laughter. "Bless yer little hearts! Ya ll hiss in unison!"

The fellow Dark-Hunter looked at her with a grin, chuckling himself. He turned to the Daimons surrounding him and smirked, his own fangs glinting dangerously in the light from a streetlamp, though his wide-brimmed Stetson covered the rest of his features from your gaze. "Ya'll know what that means, don'cha? he asked, his Southern drawl reaching her ears. For some freaky reason, she almost shivered, but the years of cold reserve kept her from doing so. It means poor, lil retards . His mocking voice kicked them into action.

The Daimons split up immediately, half running at her while the other half ran at the cowboy DH. Laughing, Dawn's daggers were in her hands in an instant and she had two of the 1 3 4 8 11 Daimons that were attacking in total dusted. he could feel her powers begin to wane the longer she stayed near the other Dark-Hunter, but she simply ignored it and instead relied on all the years of fighting experience from back in her outlaw days.  
Well, her living outlaw days; she was still an outlaw, just now no one knew bout her.

"Hey, ma'am, I'd say we'd best be getting these guys right quick." She heard the Southerner call to her as he used his own knife to take the head of a Daimon. "Mean no offense, lady, but bein' round you has me gettin' weak. And it ain't them pretty looks of yours, neither."

"Ya'll ain't the only one, darlin'. I m not feelin' all too hot either." Dawn called back over cheerfully, sparing him a glance. It was almost shocking to see him practically dancing around the Daimons, his Western-style duster fluttering around him. She could even see the muscles under his clothes bunch as he spun and killed another Daimon. It was enough to almost make her drool, but being the lady that she was, wouldn't let that happen.

Seeing that Dawn was otherwise distracted, one Daimon came up behind her and grabbed out around the waist. Before she had a chance to even gasp, he hefted her up like a sack of potatoes and chucked her into the other Dark-Hunter. Pain splintered through both of them them, Dawn more so since technically her getting thrown into him still constituted as her hurting him, so whatever he was feeling was amplified to 10 with her. The man caught and held her to himself as the force of the impact drove him into building wall. Even more pain hit her, leaving her gasping.

He steadied her with a gentle hand on her shoulder and another at her waist while her head spun. Obviously she now have a concussion. He must have banged his head against the building.

"Yeah, sure, you assholes just have to give me a concussion." Dawn murmured as she gingerly touched her head.

"Damn! Hey, ya'll alright, there, ma'am?" a gentle drawl whispered in her ear. She quickly pulled herself together long enough to send a fangy grin over her shoulder. He gave her a startled look.

"Just dandy." She answered back.

Turning back to the Daimons, she leapt back into the fray before they could attack her. She brutally elbowed the one that threw her in the face before jamming her blade in its throat. Gold dust exploded around her, covering her and making her cough. Within a few minutes all of the Daimons taken care of, and she were very grateful. For the last minute or so she had been fighting with practically no powers and instead were just using her intellect and natural grace to win. Once the last Daimon exploded into gold pixie dust she finally decided it was the right time to introduce herself to the other Hunter. Walking over to where her other dagger had fallen when she was thrown, she picked it up and replaced them both before turning to the man.

"Well, hi, ya'll!" Dawn said cheerfully, feeling that she had to be polite even though she was feeling decidedly tired without her powers.  
He turned to face her, tilting his hat up to get a better look at her face. The first thing she noticed about him was his deep soulless onyx eyes. Sure, all Hunters had black eyes, it was the result of losing a soul, but she found his to be particularly beautiful. For a moment she wondered what color his eyes had been before, but then got the answer as his eyes slowly bled into a rich dark chocolate brown. Well, that must mean his powers had just gone.  
She was torn from her thoughts by his deep Southern drawl.

"Well, howdy to you, too, ma'am." He said back as he moved closer. "Now whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?" She smirked at him as she raised a hand to flick a piece of Daimon-blond hair aside.

"The name's Dawn McKay."

His eyes widened slightly and the smile on his face turned into a grin. "I've heard of you." He commented. "You're dangerous with them knives of yours." He came forward and offered his hand. "Seems pointless to stay away now that my powers are already gone. Name's Jess Brady, ma'am, but people call me-"

"Sundown." She cut him off with a smile. "I've heard of you, too, cowboy." His grin turned roguish. "Been good things, I hope. I haven't heard nothing but praise bout you."

She chuckled. "Oh, I assure you, Mr. Brady, my record is far from pretty."

"So's mine. But, please, call me Jess."

Dawn felt her cheeks heat up and it was then she realized that she was still holding his hand. She quickly pulled it back, ignoring the bereft look on his face, and slid her hands back into her pockets. "Well, if that's the case, you can call me Dawn. Enough of that ma'am crap. Never had it while alive an' I don't need it now I'm dead." She informed him with a slight note of bitterness, though she hoped he didn't notice.

Dawn turned to face the mouth of the alleyway and sighed. "Well, if you'll excuse me. These powers ain't gonna come back 'less I start putting distance between us." She cast a smirk over her shoulder. "I don't intend to let my town get nibbled by these yanks." With that, she disappeared around the corner, leaving Sundown staring after her with a hidden look of longing.

A thought came to him that made him suddenly smirk. "Sundown meets Dawn, oh, the irony." He murmured to himself as he headed in the opposite direction that she had gone. The sun was gonna be up in close to an hour and he still had to get back to that butt-ugly hotel that he was staying in until this thing Ash told him about was resolved.

"Oh, look at you!" Lee-an tsked as Dawn entered the theatre through the back door. She began to fuss with her, looking her over for injuries of any kind. "You look terrible, dear! You need to be more careful. Nice girl like you could find lot of trouble if you not careful."

Little did she know, but Dawn had actually been the one looking for the trouble. But she had to admit, she did look pretty rough. It looked as though she had started a bar brawl (which had actually happened earlier). But she didn't need to tell her that. She still thought of her as just a regular young woman who worked the grave-yard shift at some nameless job and paid great rent.

She, unlike her squire husband, had no idea what Dawn actually did for a living. And she intended to keep it that way. She was too nice a person to have to deal with the knowledge that the world wasn't t as wonderful as she thought. Lee-an can t see the evil in anyone. It would get her in trouble someday, Dawn knew, but she didn't have the heart to tell her to stop. After all, it had been her caring heart that had provided her with such wonderful rooming arrangements. It had been her idea to let Dawn live above the theatre. Having finally decided that she were okay, Lee-an stepped back to regard her. "Dawn, what happen?" she asked in her normal broken English.

She shrugged. "I got into a light scuffle. Nothin' big, Lee-an." She told her. Truth be told, she felt like shit. And she looked like it too, she could guess. Lee-an crossed her dainty arms over her chest and gave Dawn a stern look. The stare that the barely 5 foot woman was giving her would be enough to make anyone flinch. Including her. Living as long as she have, with the life she led, meant that very little intimidated her, but she did.

"You be careful, now, Dawn. Good girl like you make for nice toy if not careful, that no good."

She had to smile at how messed up her sentences were. "I'll be alright, Lee-an. Ya'll ain't got nothing to worry 'bout." She said gently. "I'm very careful."

She stifled a yawn as Lee-an opened her mouth to say otherwise. Seeing as how she was practically falling asleep standing, she waved her off with a hand. "Go sleep, dear. Go, go."

She nudged her towards the stairs that led to the second floor, and her room. Without waiting for anymore encouragement, she turned and began to stumble up the stairs. Sleep would do her good, since the Oneroi come to Dark-Hunters in their sleep to heal them.

Dawn stumbled up the steps and into her small apartment, dropping herself down onto her large bed without thought. Before her head hit the pillow, though, she was already out cold.

It wasn't until a couple of weeks after that first meeting with the charming Sundown, that she met him again, though she didn't mind none since she had been thinking about him almost none-stop since that first meeting.

What made this meeting so different was that it occurred, obscurely, online.

Dawn was sitting in front of her laptop up in her apartment, checking messages on the Dark-Hunter website as she ate yet another yummy-but-unknown meal prepared by Lee-an, when she came across a message that made her start.

It was from Sundown. Sent earlier in that evening. When she had woken up the day after meeting Sundown, she got a call from Acheron. He informed her that Sundown would temporarily be staying in her town. It was big enough that they both would be able to handle it without running into each other, but he thought it would be best that he warned her.

He didn't seem in the least bit surprised when she told him that she had already met the dashing Southerner, and had, in fact, sounded like he was pleased about the meeting. Well, that was odd; Ash was the most adamant about Dark-Hunters not having relationships, especially with each other. Not only was it a stupid thing to do, what with loosing all their powers after a time, but it was also a really good way to die. She d already had a death wish once, she didn't need another. Not even for a gorgeous cowboy with a sexy accent.

Her heart gave an unexpected jerk at the memory of how handsome the outlaw was. And he was handsome. Very, very handsome. Hell, if there wasn t that rule that stated no being near other Dark-Hunters for any extended amount of time then chances were she would probably have jumped him the day she had met him, he was that hot. And the accent! Dawn couldn't help but find his Southern drawl sexy.

She shook her head firmly. No. She couldn't, and wouldn't, think about a fellow Dark-Hunter that way. It wasn't right. Not to mention it was against the rules. Ash would have her ass if she even thought about trying to jump the yummy cowboy. Though, if it was Sundown that wanted her ass No. she stated firmly to herself. _'Bad, Dawn. Ain't nothing gonna come of thinking 'bout him like that. Ya'll ain't a normal woman anymore. You gave up your happy ending, girl.'_

Well, so what if she couldn't have that happy ending that every girl dreamed of, didn't mean she couldn't be his friend, at least. With that thought firmly in mind, she clicked on the message.

_Howdy, Dawn!  
Found you on the DH site so I thought what the hell and messaged you.  
I m still in town, though I'm guessing Ash already told ya bout that, huh?  
Anyway, message me anytime if you get bored, or call. Wouldn't mind having a beautiful angel like you calling me at any hour.  
~Jess_

Dawn was laughing by the time she finished reading the message. For a moment she contemplated messaging him back, or even calling him, but then she remembered that it was about time she started her patrol, starting with her favorite coffee shop. Sighing with barely repressed regret, odd, she picked up her dirty dishes, tossed them in the sink for later, before gathering up her jacket and weapons and heading out, stuffing weapons places as she walked down the stairs.

By the time she had reached the bottom step, all of her weapons and other various sharp objects were completely hidden and she had her jacket thrown on. As she walked through the kitchen, she passed by Chow as he was heading for the projector room. He paused as she passed.  
Be careful, Dawn. Don t go getting yourself killed. He cautioned. Dawn gave him a grin, showing of her sparkling fangs. I ll be fine, Chow, just going on patrol. Should be back soon. I ll call if I need help. With that, she left.

Dawn walked mostly in shadow, her hair pulled up and under her jackets hood, thus making her blend in with the shadows even more. It was a habit she had been unable to break herself from since her days as an outlaw out in the Wild West, not like she would want to. When she had become a Dark-Hunter she found the gift to be an asset. And who was she to turn down something that gave her an edge over the enemy?

3o minutes later found her sitting comfortable at a table outside of a small coffee shop in town, drinking a very enjoyable cup of peppermint hot chocolate. One of the few things she found enjoyable anymore. Her thoughts went back to her old life. Back then, many things were enjoyable; the feel of the weight of a bag of gold in her hand after a good heist, a good shot of strong whiskey. A quiet night after a job, sitting with a friend, sharing a drink and a conversation.

Her hand traveled up to touch the scar around her throat. A scar some might recognize as ropeburn that comes from a rope tied securely around the neck. That s how that night had started. Two friends, sitting together after a successful train heist, sharing a drink Dawn hadn't even noticed them come up behind her until it was too late, and then she was too drunk to stop them, just like they wanted.

Ever since then she hasn't touched alcohol, regardless of the fact that it doesn't get her inebriated. It was also the reason that Chow is the first squire she ve had. It s taken her close to a hundred yrs before she was willing to trust another. Sure, she was friendly, but she was far from trusting. Her senses twitched in alarm a second before her phone rang. Furrowing her brow, she removed the hand at her throat and pulled out her phone. Flipping it open, she pressed it to her ear.

_"Well, howdy, there, ma'am."_ A smile spread across her face at the voice on the other end.

"Hi, Jess." she replied. "What're you up to?"

_"Look up, doll."_

Feeling confused, she did as he said. Her smile became a smirk. So, that s what caused her senses to flare right before he called. At the far opposite side of the coffee shop, just out of range for her powers to be effected, sat Jess Brady, smiling a closed-lip smile.

_"Surprise."_

"How'd ya'll know I was here?" she asked, eyeing him from the distance.

He shrugged his wide shoulders. _"Didn't. I was walking around and just saw you."_

She arched a brow at him. "Okay, darlin', so how'd ya'll get this number? Did Ash give it to ya'll"

He winked. _"Maybe."_ He answered evasively then, to her amusement, he raised his own cup of hot chocolate. _"Cheers."_

Dawn raised her Styrofoam cup in return before taking a drink. "So, darlin', is this how all our dates gonna be?"

Surprise flashed in his eyes. She found that she liked that look on him. _"Well, if ya'll wanna call it that than be my guest. But, in my experience, a date is where two people go out together and actually stand within ten feet of each other." _

"I agree, but at the risk of being helpless, this is gonna have to do."

He sighed. _"I agree. Dammit." _She couldn't help the giggle that sprouted up. The sound drew a smile to his own face, tho he was careful not to let his fangs show. _"Alright, honey, let's start some casual conversation, shall we?"_

She leaned back in her seat, flicking her hood back to let her wealth of blond hair flow around her "Sure, darlin', you first."

He chuckled as he reached up to remove his Stetson and set it on the table in front of him. He reached up to fix his hair, which had been messed up when he had worn the hat. Normally she didn't like a guy with long hair, but seeing Jess fix his long hair, she realized that she didn't mind so much with him. He was just hot.

_"So, babe, where ya from?"_

"Tombstone. You?"

He whistled in appreciation. _"Tombstone? Damn, babe, that must have been fun."_ He commented. _"Don't answer, though, why you got a Southern speech almost as good as mine. Shouldn't ya'll be sounding western?"_

She chuckled. "Oh, that's easy." She said offhandedly. "I've been stationed mostly in the south since the beginning, so over the yrs the drawl kinda stuck." She took a drink of hot cocoa. "So, how'd you get such a purty drawl?"

Jess threw his head back and laughed in obvious amusement at her saying purty instead of pretty . _"Oh, I assure you, ma'am, this is completely natural. I'm from Possum Town, MS."_

"Columbus? Huh, I was stationed there bout ten yrs back. Cool place."

_"It is pretty cool, though I have no intension of seeing that place again. Besides, I think they might still have some of my wanted posters in some of their records or somethin'."_

Dawn quirked an eyebrow. "I think I might want to pay a visit to their history records in the future. I wonder how much your bounty was."

He shrugged nonchalantly. _"It was enough to make my best man shoot me in the back."_ He said carelessly, but she could still hear the bitterness in his tone. Dawn winced, regretting bringing it up.

Yeah, bounties do tend to bring out a person s true colors. she replied hauntedly, remembering her own betrayal. Of its own accord, her hand traveled up to the scar around her neck. From the distance Jess was at, he couldn't see the scar, but he did see the look in her eyes as she touched her neck. It made him wonder what had happened to her.

_"What happened to you, if you don t mind my asking?"_

She shook her head, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. It had to happen sooner or later. He would ask and she would tell. It was better he asked now then later, though. Get it out of the way sooner, not to mention she owned him since he had told her of his betrayal. "It's alright. I just, well, let's just say that when my friends wanted me to hang around... they wanted me to hang around." She told him venomously, surprising him.

He sucked in a sharp breath, sitting up straighter in his seat and nearly dropping his phone, realization dawning. _"Shit! They lynched you?"_

She bit out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Among other things, yeah. Never saw it coming, neither. Bastards were too chicken to face me head on. Instead they got me drunk and jumped me from behind. All for a freakin' bounty that they didn't even get to enjoy."

After that, she changed the subject, something they were both grateful of. They both continued to talk about everything and nothing for a few hours, mostly just random things. He told her about his ranch he ll soon be returning to in Reno, Nevada. For some reason, that knowledge made her sad; though she didn t let on, instead moving on to tell him about her place above the local theatre.

From there the conversation turned to Squire s, as she informed him of Chow then listened to him rant on about Andy, his Squire, and how much of a pain he was and how she would like him, seeing as how both them had basically the same sense of humor.

He was just about to tell her about how his trip to Alaska had been when her phone started to beep loudly in her ear, telling her that someone was trying to call her. Sending Jess an apologetic look from across the coffee shop, she hung up and accepted the next call.

"McKay, here."

_"Geez, Dawn, you're rather snappy this evening."_

She cringed. "Sorry Ash." she apologized quickly. "What's up?"

_"You know, Sundown isn't answering his phone. Do you have any idea why?"_ Though his voice gave nothing away, she still had a feeling that Ash knew the exact reason why Sundown wasn t answering his phone. She just wondered if he gave a damn or not. Sending Sundown a glare for ignoring any incoming calls, she spoke to Ash.

"Sundown and I have been chatting for the past hour on our cells. Sorry Ash, I had no clue that you were trying to call him."

_"Not blaming you, Dawn. Just make sure that cowboy answers his phone next time."_ Dawn nodded then remembered that he couldn't see her, so instead said.

"Sure thing, Ash. Anything else?"

_"Yeah. Tell him to get off his ass. You can both sit at the coffee shop flirting for I-don't-give-a-shit-how-long; just get your patrol done first."_ With that he hung up.

Sliding her phone shut, she found herself not at all surprised that Acheron had known that they were both sitting in the coffee shop. In the hundred yrs she's known him, she's learned that practically nothing slips by him. Dawn downed the rest of her hot cocoa and stood. Across the shop, Jess followed suit. As she walked by him to the gate leading out, she paused beside him, instantly feeling her powers slowly becoming weaker. "Ash says you better answer your phone more." She told him.

He gave her a shocked look. "Oh, shit!" he breathed. "That call earlier was from Ash?" She nodded. He cursed. "He probably wants to put my balls in a sling now, huh?"

She chuckled at the imagery, patting him on the shoulder. "Something like that. He wants us to start our patrol now."

He nodded in understanding. "Ah, well, then, I guess it's time we hit the Daimon Trail, then, huh?"

She nodded with a smirk. "Yeah. Been nice talking to ya'll, Jess. Hope to do it again soon." As she turned to go, Jess suddenly grabbed her arm and swung her around. She opened her mouth in shock and he took the opportunity to press his lips to hers, his tongue instantly slipping into her mouth. Passion and promise were in that kiss, and both were dangerous by them selves but lethal when put together like they now were.

Dawn knew that nothing could happen between the two of them, and yet at the same time she was suddenly wishing something would, something more than just a solid kiss like this one.

Just as the shock began to slip away and she felt her arms begin to move up around his shoulder, Jess pulled away, leaving her lips feeling all of the sudden cold. She hid a remorseful look as he gave her a small sad smile.

"See ya'll later, doll." With that, he was gone, leaving her feeling empty and bereft, not to mention wishing for a cold shower.

By the time she had gotten back to her place it was almost sunrise, which made her pissed. Dawn had run into a particularly large group of Daimons behind the local Wal-Mart and they had proved to be quite the challenge, though they were nothing she couldn t handle, they were just a little more more. Her jacket was in tatters hanging from her thin frame and just adding to her sour mood. She really liked that jacket, now it looks like she had wrestled a bobcat, and she felt like she had, too.

She was sore in places she didn t even know she had, dammit, and that was just pissing her off even more. Entering her apartment, she deftly threw her stuff onto her couch as she walked by it on her way to the shower. Peeling off the jacket as she went, she gave a hiss of pain as the leather was detached from her skin where it had been practically glued by the dried and drying blood. As she walked by, she tossed the heap of leather in the trash can, since there was absolutely no way of salvaging it; it was too shredded.

The bathroom was smallish, but she didn t care at the moment, wearily staring the shower running as she continued to strip down to nothing then stepping in.

The feel of the burning water was good on her aching flesh, and as she glanced down, Dawn noted how many scars she had accumulated during her yrs as a Dark-Hunter, and then those that had come from before, back when she had still been an outlaw. If she reached up, she knew that she would feel the raised scar that wrapped around her neck like a distorted necklace, the marks from the rope still very clear.

It was the only scar she wished she could hide, but couldn t because ever since she'd been brought back a Dark-Hunter; she hadn t let anything near her neck. No necklaces, scarves, nothing. She didn t even like ppl looking at it, since it was also the only scar she possessed that disgusted her. It had become a blatant reminder of how stupid she had been, letting them get close to her under the guise of being her gang. As if. She should have remembered that outlaw s back then didn t take orders from women, even ones as frightening as she had been.

But, the past was the past, and she had already paid for her crimes in full. Hell, more than full, she had made a complete turn-around from being a bandit, outlaw, and robber, to being a damn defender of humankind.

What kind of screwed up world was she living in? Well, it had to be pretty screwed already seeing as how her boss is an 11 thousand-plus undead sex-oozing servant of a certain red-headed huntress goddess that had an odd obsession with those that had emo complexes. An image of a certain cowboy flashed through her mind. Well, most had emo complexes. Jess seemed to blissfully lack that requirement. He actually had a rather cheery disposition. Thinking about Jess brought with it the knowledge that anything between them could never be.

They were both Dark-Hunters, and thus couldn t even be in the same vicinity of each other without loosing their powers and becoming helpless and vulnerable to attack. Dawn knew that any relationship with Jess would be forbidden, but it still hurt for some reason to point that out.

Somehow, without even realizing it, she had fallen for him. It could have been in that first second she had met him, or even later, when they had both talked outside of the coffee shop, sitting just far enough away not to dampen each others powers, and yet close enough to almost smell.

She didn t quite know when it had been, but she just knew that Jess now held a piece of her heart, regardless of having no soul to go along with it.

The next evening Dawn awoke with the knowledge that she was not alone in her apartment anymore. It wasn t Chow, or even Lee-an, but someone else. She could feel them walking around the living room, examining things. She concentrated for a moment, centering herself, and focused on who was in out there. Nothing came back. No one could do that except-

Rising, she grabbed up a pair of pants and jumped into them as she straightened out her bra and tank top that she had slept in, before swinging open her door and walking into the living room. The figure had his back to her, but as she entered, he turned around to regard her from over his dark sunglasses before walking over and leaning a hip against the kitchen door jam, crossing his arms over his muscled chest.

Swirling silver eyes regarded her calmly from behind a pair of dark Ray-Ban sunglasses, a small smile played across a mouth so sinfully perfect even she wasn t immune to, but she ignored the attraction she had for Acheron as she walked into the room and tossed herself onto one of her huge comfy chairs.

"Hey, Ash, what's up?" She drawled as she threw her legs over one arm and leaned back against the other.

He stared at her a moment longer before shrugging. "Nothing much, there's just some things I would like to talk to you about."

Dawn stiffened, biting back a curse. Of course he knew, Ash knew everything, and why else would he want to talk to her if not because of this? Not meaning to sound like he hates her, or anything, it s just Ash trusts her enough to do her job that he hardly ever has to come here to ream her or save her ass, so the only reason for him to be standing in her living room, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, would be that he had found out about her rapidly growing attraction for Jess Sundown Brady.

He chuckled softly to himself, as if reading her thoughts (which he probably was), but with her advanced hearing she could still hear him, and that only put her into a more stressed mood. Yup, she mentally cursed, that s the only answer. She's a dead girl uh, woman... uh, again.

"It has recently come to my attention..." Oh, great, here it comes, the rule-book smack-down. Does he have to draw it out like he's doing? He's just adding to the tension. "that Artemis, I would say, forgot a key something in your job description." Yup, she's so-wait, what? Artemis screwed up? Did he just say that right?

Dawn arched a brow at him. "Huh?" Yeah, sure, _now's_ the time to talk like a blonde.

He smirked suddenly, shaking his head. "I can t believe she hadn't noticed it sooner. Or maybe she had, but just hadn't told me. Yeah, I can see that one being the likely answer."

"Maybe she's just slipping with age, or something?" Dawn offered, not even knowing what he was talking about.

"Or something." He reached into his backpack, which she just noticed was hanging over the shoulder not resting against the jam, and produced two small boxes, both looking like they could hold rings. One box was velvet grey while the other was black.

Dawn rose up onto the arm her legs were resting on and stared at the boxes. "Why, Ash, I don'know what ta' say." She exclaimed, clasping her hands in front of her chest and batting her eyelashes playfully. "I never knew you had such feelin's for me."

He snorted. Shut up. "There not rings, you smartass. This is Jess' soul." He held out the black box. "And the rest of yours." He held out the gray.

She reached for both, but then his words got through her brain and she froze for a brief second before turning her widened eyes to his covered ones. "Wha?" Again, not the best time for her vocabulary to take a vacation.

"The rest of your soul." He repeated calmly. "Like I said, Artemis forgot something. Or, more like, the rest of something. She only took half of your soul in the first go-around. My guess is something, I'm thinking a shiny object, must have distracted her while she was removing your soul to make you a Dark-Hunter so that she only took half. And, well, since you can only remove a soul once, and she'd already removed enough to Hunter-fy you, she decided to leave you with the little bit you still had."

Dawn gaped at him, her hand unconsciously moving to the spot against her left ribs where her bow-and-arrow mark was. Ash quirked a twisted smile at her. "Guess you got lucky, kid. Only Hunter I can think of that has had your luck had been Zarik, though he never had any of his soul sucked."

She was still gaping.

Acheron sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, this is pretty cool, Dawn. You're probably wondering if you can go out in the sun or not. No, don't try it. You got the mark of Artemis on you, and that's enough for Sunshine-boy up there."

Still, she gaped.

He gave her an exasperated look. "And yes, you can be with Jess, though I have no idea why you'd want to. It must be the chaps, or something, uck."

And _still _she gaped.

Finally, Acheron groaned in annoyance and walked forward, taking both of her hands and pressing the boxes into them. Her hands deftly closed around them. "You have enough of your soul left in you to restore his to him, and once he has his he can return to you the rest of yours, though you won't have to die or anything. All he'd have to do is press the medallion against the mark until the soul completely transfers. Downside, though, since you'll be alive still when this happens, unlike him, it'll hurt like hell, cause the soul is gonna be forcing itself into your body to mix with the rest of it."

Those words shocked her out of her dazed stupor and made her stare up at him. "Wha? Huh? I... he... we." She was really gonna have to grab a dictionary, or at the very least a thesaurus, if this verbal amnesia was going to continue.

Ash just chuckled, his hands still closed over her. "Just don't drop them." With that, he was gone.

She just stared at the place he had been standing a moment before for what felt like hours, until finally her brain began to function again, and when it did she leapt up, her hands clutching tightly to the boxes as she rushed into her room, searching desperately for her pants from last night since they held your phone.

Grabbing them up with one hand, while the other held the two boxes tightly against her breasts, feeling the gentle warmth emanating from the souls inside, she quickly dug into the pockets. Only to come up empty. It was then she remembered that her phone had been stored in-

Shit!

She raced into the kitchen, pausing to gingerly set the boxes on the counter next to the toaster, before reaching into the garbage can and pulling out her tattered leather jacket she had tossed the night before. Reaching into the inside pocket, she immediately felt the small metal and plastic of her cell phone.

"Ah-ha!" She cheered. She flipped the thing open and then cursed when she saw that the battery was almost dead. Oh, well, there was enough power for a quick call. She scrolled through the address book until she found the number she wanted then hit the little green phone button.  
It was answered after the second ring.

_"Sundown." _The smooth drawl on the other line was almost the end of her. She took a deep, calming breath before she spoke.

"Jess, it's me, Dawn."

_"Well, howdy there, Dawn. What can I do for you this beautiful evening?"_

"You can come over to my place."

Silence.

_"Well most women would at least wait til the second date, not like we've even had a first, but-"_

"Not for that, Jess." She cut him off abruptly. "Ash dropped by and," was her voice trembling? She didn't notice. "I need to talk to you. In person... please."

_"What s wrong, babe? What happened? You sound more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs."_

"I'll tell you when you get here. Tell Chow to let you up."

_"I'm around the corner. I'll be there faster than a bell clapper on a goose's ass."_ With that he hung up.

"Huh?" Was all she could muster as she eyed the phone in her hand for a minute before shaking her head and snapping it shut, tossing it onto it's charger which rested on the counter beside the boxes before gathering them up and making her way into the living room to wait for Jess.

She took a seat on the couch in front of the coffee table and set the boxes down on it gently, as if afraid they d break at the slightest jostle.  
It was a good thing she set them down when she did, because a moment later Jess came bursting in, startling her and making her heart leap into her throat. Behind him was Chow, looking worried. "Dawn, what wrong?" he demanded.

Dawn flashed him a small smile, walking over to give him a soft hug. "Nothing, Chow. There's just something Ash gave me for Jess that's very important. I'll tell you bout it later, k?" she said, leading him to the door.

He gave her an uneasy look, but nodded. "Alright. But you better talk later or else I sick Lee-an on you. See how you like knowing what really in your meals."

She blanched, but smiled. "I promise, I'll tell you later, Chow. You really don't need to tell me what she makes for me. I'm still disturbed over the last time." With that, and another promise, she was finally able to shut the door. Sighing softly, she leaned her head against the door in front of her for a moment to gather her courage before turning to face the cowboy standing there.

Her breath caught for a moment at the sheer hotness of him. He looked pretty much the same as he had the night before, but his hair was untied and hung in a chocolate waterfall around his face. His steady black eyes watched her with no small amount of worry in their ebony depths.

"Babe, what's wrong?" he asked gently, his drawl thick with worry.

That drug her mind away from thoughts about his gorgeous hair and back to the present.

"Oh!" She cried, rushing over to the coffee table, hearing his hurried footsteps as he followed.

Dawn stopped in front of the small table, pointing at the boxes. "Do you know what those are?" He looked at her like she had grown three heads.

"Babe, those be lookin' like weddin ring boxes . Don't think I ain't flattered, but I thought I was s'posed to be the one doing the proposing." She lightly hit his arm, right where his mark was, coincidently.

"No, silly. That's not what these are. They're somethin' more 'portant."

"What?"

"Our souls."

_"What!?"_

Dawn sighed and proceeded to explain everything that Ash had told her earlier, though she used a lot more hand gestures and side-notes than he did, all the while a part of her worrying that Jess might not accept what she was offering. His soul; a chance to walk under the sun; she. All the things that were denied to him because he was a Dark-Hunter.

All he had to do was turn and walk out the door and that would be the end of her. Odd how someone she had only known for roughly a month could hold such power over her. If he walked from this place right this instant, she knew that her heart, and what was left of her soul, would fall to pieces.  
After Dawn had finished her rendition of what had occurred earlier, she stood silently next to Jess, waiting for his reaction. He stood frozen, eyes glued to the boxes, for who-knows-how-long, before turning his sparkling obsidian orbs to her's and it was then that she saw the huge grin plastered to his face, fangs glittering.

"Aw, babe, you just made me happier than ol' Blue layin on the porch chewin on a big ol' caitfish head."

She raised an eyebrow. "An' that would mean?..." He chuckled before abruptly gathering her into his arms to swing her around a few times. She squealed in surprise until he put her back down.

"Now," he said, his voice turning serious. "What do we do?" Dawn glanced at the boxes then at him. "Don't s'pose, you know what yer weakness is, eh?"

Jess thought about that for a moment. "Well, I would think it'd be you. Since you're the only thing I've really been caring bout for a long time."

"So what d'we do?"

Again, he paused to think. "Dunno. I heard from Otto that it took his Dark-Hunter physically hurting his girl to find his weakness, while Kyrian just had to bed his."

Dawn screwed up her face. "Well, I ain't likin' the idea of pain, none, but the other is soundin mighty fine." He grinned down at her lecherously. "I was thinin along those same lines." He swung her up into his arms, but froze as he swayed a little.

"Oh, day-amn, seems our being nearness is startin to take effect." He said before falling back onto the couch with her still in his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, a thoughtful look on her face. Suddenly, she grinned. "Hey, this it!" she exclaimed, tightening her grip on his neck. "I make you weak cause we're both Dark-Hunters. All we have t do is wait til all yer powers are gone and bingo!"

He thought about her words, and grinned when he realized she was right. He pulled her close to press a sound kiss to her lips. "Well, if that ain t the best news I've ever heard! How long d'ya'll think it'll take fore I'm running on empty?" She thought about that for awhile, her mind adding up and calculating the time from their first meeting.

"I'd say bout 15 minutes or so." His eyes turned seductive.

"Well, then, I say we spend the time wisely, since you're gonna puttin a knife threw my heart in that much time." Without waiting for a reply, he pressed his lips to hers. Dawn could almost swear the ground moved beneath her. Jess' hand spanned her throat, holding her to him, holding her as if she were a part of him. Holding her as if she were the most precious thing to him, as if he couldn t be without her. All rational thought left her then, leaving her with only this driving need to be with Jess. To be a part of him.

They were both so caught up in the moment that neither of them noticed when Jess movements started to become slower, more weighed down, until it was almost like he was half asleep as he responded to her every kiss, every touch. It was only then that she pulled away and looked into his eyes. Dark chocolate pools stared back at her drowsily. She gave him a gentle smile.

"It's time." She murmured.

He nodded and sat up to remove his jacket and shirt, giving her an amazing view of all the fine muscle he d earned from working his ranch. He pointed at the mark on his arm then took her hand and held it against his stilled chest.

"Strike quickly, babe." He advised. "Tha' way, neither of us hurt more than is necessary."

Nodding, she rose from her spot, grabbed her dagger from the nightstand, and returned to open the box with Jess soul in it. She handed it to Jess and slowly opened the lid to gaze at the beautiful gold medallion inside, a picture of a horse rearing on it. He gave her a small smile. "Remember, babe, don't go droppin' it now." He half joked.

Dawn gave him a reassuring smile then, with one hand hovering over the medallion, she used the other to quickly plunge the dagger straight into his heart, crying out with him as she instantly grasped the burning medallion in her hand and held it against his mark.

Her eyes locked with his as she watched the light slowly fade from those depths.

"Y'know, babe. Here we are committin' ourselves to each other an I ain't even bothered to say I love you." Jess whispered softly to her.

She felt tears gather in her eyes and begin to stream down her face. "Oh, you pathetic cowboy, I love you, too!" Dawn exclaimed a moment before all life left him.

Her breath caught as she felt the heat seep out of the medallion clutched so tightly in her hand into Jess body. Her whole body shook as she waited for him to reawaken, to open his beautiful eyes and smile, to start spouting off the completely un-understandable colloquialisms he was so fond of.

"Come on, darlin'." She whispered desperately. "Open those damn beautiful eyes."

And just like that, a breath. And then, as if answering her, his eyes slowly opened to reveal the most wonderful set of dark chocolate eyes she had ever seen. A small, weak smile spread across his face.

"Now, honey, can ya'll put that knife out a my chest. It's twingin' somethin' awful."

She gave a cry of joy and, jerking the knife from his chest, threw her arms around his neck and held onto him for all she was worth. Jess, even though he no longer had the Dark-Hunter power, could still hold her with a mighty powerful grip and did so at that moment.

They both stayed frozen like that, just holding one another, for a long time, until Sundown finally pulled away enough to look her in the eyes.

"Now, can we wait till tomorrow night to fully soul you? Dunno bout you, honey, but I'm a feelin' the need to celebrate tonight and that don't work none if'n ya'll are too weak. I intend to put that Dark-Hunter stamina ya'll's have to the test while ya still got it."

And with that, he pulled her in for a soul-searing kiss.

* * *

Okay, what do you think?


End file.
